DOB, City & State agencies heed Klein’s call to take action against Bronx landlord who deprived rent-stabilized tenants of gas for 29 days
Stop work orders issued on Goldfarb owned property for endangering the health and safety of Bronx tenants
BRONX, NY – July 2, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — After State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) called for an immediate investigation of Bronx slumlord Phillip Goldfarb for the flagrant harassment and unlawful eviction of tenants in The Bronx, representatives from the New York City Department of Buildings today issued two stop work orders on 1135 Pelham Parkway North. The New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and New York State Attorney General’s office also visited the property to meet with residents and inspect the building.
In total, two stop work orders were issued. The DOB issued the first stop work order for plumbing work being conducted throughout the entire building that left tenants without gas service for 29 days. The second was issued on an individual apartment where haphazard construction has been taking place for months.
Senator Klein said, “No tenant should be the target of illegal discrimination or systematic harassment by dishonest, scamming landlords while trying to make a home for themselves and their families. The stop work orders issued today by the DOB on this property send a message to slumlords across the five boroughs that they will be held accountable and that this kind of misconduct will not be tolerated. I commend the joint efforts of New York’s city and state agencies to protect the health and safety of Bronx tenants and I look forward to working together to to combat tenant harassment in New York now and into the future.”
With ongoing construction at 1135 Pelham Parkway North, tenants in the building have been forced to use hot plates to cook their meals. Goldfarb Properties has made no concessions or provided any accommodations to residents who have been without heat or gas during this period.
For more than a year, residents at Goldfarb Properties in The Bronx have been victims of persistent threats by management, dragged to court under false filings, received non-rent regulated lease renewals and had their rents both unfairly and substantially increased. Mr. Goldfarb has repeatedly endangered the health and welfare of tenants – cutting off all elevator access for elderly and disabled residents, removing security systems and forbidding tenants from using buildings’ parking garages.
“We are very grateful to Senator Klein for the great strides he has made against these very terrible and troublesome landlords. Thank you to Attorney General Schneiderman, the DOB and HPD for their swift action and involvement in protecting tenants in The Bronx. Let today’s occurrences put all landlords on notice that tenants have rights and we will exercise those rights to keep from living in less than equal conditions, free from landlord harassment and from lack of building-wide services like gas, hot water, or easy access for our handicap-able tenants. We will not stand for this treatment,” said Andrew Goebel, Tenant Leader at 1135 Pelham Parkway North.
In 2009, Senator Klein passed landmark legislation that provided New York State with the toughest tenant protection laws in the nation. Penalties for landlords found in violation of DHCR rules and regulations increased from $250 to $1,000 for the first offense, and $1,000 to $2,000 for the second offense. Fines were also strengthened for landlords found guilty of any form of tenant harassment – regardless of whether their actions were intended to drive tenants from their homes – from $1,000 to $2,000 for the first offense, and $5,000 to $10,000 for subsequent offenses.
